President has warned that the U.S. might use military force to secure the Diego Garcia air base in the Chagos Islands if any future agreement threatens access to the joint U.S.-U.K. facility.
Trump shared these remarks Thursday in a Truth Social post, also indicating his willingness to move past tensions with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer following what he called “very productive discussions” about the Indian Ocean base.
Stressing the base’s strategic importance, Trump said Diego Garcia’s role is essential to U.S. .
“It is the site of a major U.S. military base, strategically situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean and, therefore, of great importance to the national security of the United States,” Trump wrote.
Trump also acknowledged that the U.K. secured what he termed “the best deal he could make” under a controversial agreement to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while leasing Diego Garcia back for at least 99 years.
“However, if the lease deal, at any point in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our base, I retain the right to militarily in Diego Garcia,” Trump warned.
“Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense.”
These comments marked a slight shift in Trump’s tone—he had criticized the U.K.-Mauritius deal in January as an “” and an “act of total weakness,” accusing Britain of surrendering a critical military asset.
Diego Garcia serves as a hub for long-range bombers, logistics, intelligence collection and military communications across the Middle East, Indo-Pacific and Africa, hosting around 2,500 U.S. and military and civilian personnel.
The island base has been used for long-range U.S. operations like those in Afghanistan and Yemen.
According to , Downing Street confirmed Trump and Starmer discussed Diego Garcia during a recent call and agreed to safeguard the base’s continued operation.
“Turning to Diego Garcia, and the deal the U.K. has secured to maintain control of the U.S.-U.K. military base to protect national security, the leaders recognized its strategic importance,” a No. 10 spokeswoman said.
“The leaders agreed their governments would continue working closely to guarantee the future operation of the base and speak again soon.”
Under the agreement, are projected to pay roughly £35 billion [$47 billion] over the next century, including annual payments of about £160 million [$216 million] to Mauritius, per public estimates.
Britain has also agreed to approximately £3 billion [$4 billion] in compensation over the deal’s lifetime, with an option to extend the lease for an additional 50 years.
The agreement has also drawn criticism from , which argues it weakens the U.K.’s strategic position and risks harming long-standing security ties with the U.S.
Mauritius has stated its sovereignty over the islands is “unequivocally recognized” under international law and called for swift implementation of the agreement.
As previously reported by , a Downing Street spokesperson also said in January the U.K. is continuing efforts to “allay any concerns” in Washington.
“We will continue to engage with the U.S. on this important matter and to secure U.S. and U.K. interests,” the spokesperson said.
Digital has reached out to for comment, while the White House referred to Trump’s Truth Social post.